Console Corner: Battleborn preview

It’s often said there are not enough first person shooter games available nowadays... well that’s never been said, ever, but here comes another one.

If you feel like there is an animated, chaotic, colourful, multiplayer online battle arena first person shooter game missing from your life then you’re in luck.

That’s because Battleborn launches on May 3 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.

I’m being slightly unfair, Battleborn looks very interesting and will be the first intellectual property created by Gearbox Software since Borderlands in 2009, which was a genuine hit.

Labelled a “hero shooter”, the game will feature said multiplayer online battle arena elements and is set in a space fantasy world.

The backdrop to the story is that every species fled to a star known as Solus after a disastrous event destroyed most other planets and stars in the universe - sounds suspiciously like Star Wars doesn’t it?

These species are divided into different factions upon their arrivals, and eventually they united and cooperate with each other by sending out the best fighters, who are labelled as battleborn, to fight against Varelsi, the origin of the catastrophe.

The graphics look great and a lot of fun. As mentioned it is comfortably the most colourful shooter I’ve ever seen (Splatoon aside).

But MOBA games are often third-person perspective for good reason.

It seems the mini-map may be a gamers’ best friend in Battleborn given Gearbox Interactive’s decision to make this a first rather than third-person shooter thus narrowing your field of vision in a chaotic landscape.

The open beta, which kicked off on April 8, confirmed those fears and it remains to be seen whether the game will have a long-term appeal as a result.